For Salt Lake Community College students who do not know anything about bachata or salsa, a new club wants to change that.
Salsa/Bachata Club president and computer science student Hector Amezcua says that he and some friends talked about starting the club sometime last fall out of ambition but didn’t move forward until December.
“That’s when I started all the paperwork and all the processes, and so it eventually got started last semester, but this semester is when we officially started our classes,” says Amezcua.
Bachata is a type of music that has cultural origins in the Dominican Republic and also has a regional following in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and now at SLCC.
The club gives all members the basic instructions of salsa and bachata, dances that are deeply rooted in the Latin community and Latin culture.
“Todo lo que es… tropical music and bachata, those are the two genres of music that are hitting in our culture,” says Amezcua. “That’s the main reason, is to at least help people understand the basics, that way…. if you can learn the basics of salsa, you basically have got the basics of bachata and you can use similar movements in the salsa movements in bachata.”
Being that it is still a new club, scheduling events and fundraisers are the club’s way of making income.
“SLCC students pay $5. That is the student’s club fee, which gives you access to any activity that the club does within the college. It’s paid by semester, so if you want to rejoin for next semester you will need to pay the $5 fee again,” says Amezcua.
If you are not an SLCC student, the fee is $10. The investment is worth it because, according to Amezcua, the club is growing.
“The smallest class we’ve had has been about 16 people, while the largest class has been almost 30,” says Amezcua.
Amezcua thinks Obama will have a big impact in the legacy of the club.
“If Obama decides to pass the free college opportunity, which means more Latinos, more minorities, will be coming to college, hopefully I can get their interest in learning salsa and bachata and grow the club even more,” says Amezcua.
As the first President of the Salsa/Bachata Club, Hector Amezcua aims to build and preserve the club’s identity for future students.
“Once I’m ready to leave SLCC, it is my duty to make sure I choose the right president to lead the club so the club can continue growing with me behind the scenes.
“I’m hoping that the club will stay solid, since I have four more semesters to go. As long as I’m here I want to make sure it’s up and running,” says Amezcua.
The Salsa/Bachata Club meets Fridays from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Lifetime Activities Center room 124 at the Taylorsville Redwood Campus.
